Moving Wall opens 5-day stay at noon

99 hours of tribute

Former U.S. Army combat photographer and "Through the Eyes" traveling Vietnam museum curator John Hosier Jr., center, talks about some of his imagery filling the tent behind him while telling stories from his time serving in the Vietnam War to Daily Plan-It partners Jill Snodgrass, left, and Sean Krikorian, right, as organizers and participants finish setting up the displays filling the Capitol gardens in preparation for today's opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall.
Former U.S. Army combat photographer and "Through the Eyes" traveling Vietnam museum curator John Hosier Jr., center, talks about some of his imagery filling the tent behind him while telling stories from his time serving in the Vietnam War to Daily Plan-It partners Jill Snodgrass, left, and Sean Krikorian, right, as organizers and participants finish setting up the displays filling the Capitol gardens in preparation for today's opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall.

The Moving Vietnam Wall will offer a time for healing, remembrance and education while it is set up at the Capitol from noon today through 3 p.m. Monday.

Visitors are welcome 24 hours a day. And more than 200 local volunteers will be involved to help visitors find a name, make a rubbing or answer questions.

The most moving of the volunteer efforts will be those who help to read each of the more than 58,000 names listed on the half-scale replica of the original Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.

An opening ceremony will begin at noon today, featuring Army Col. (Ret.) Hugh Mills, author of "Low Level Hell," an account of his time leading the Aero Scouts Platoon in Vietnam, which is being made into a movie. Hal Dulle, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, will be the emcee. The color guard will be a combination of representatives from several veterans service organizations and emergency service agencies. Music will include the Jefferson City Community Symphonic Band and Scott Brown, lead singer of the Scooter Brown Band.

A lunch reception will follow the opening ceremony for Vietnam veterans, their widows and/or their families.

A Welcome Home Street Party from 6-9 p.m. on Capitol Avenue in front of the VFW Basinger Sone Memorial Post 1003 will feature the Scooter Brown Band and American Hitmen.

"Taps" will be played at 10 p.m. each night, concluding the name reading until the next day.

A closing ceremony, featuring Marine Corps Col. (Ret.) Jack Jackson, also a former senator, will begin at 3 p.m. Monday.

The original memorial, dedicated Nov. 13, 1982, was designed by Maya Ying Lin after President Jimmy Carter signed legislation lobbied by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Inc.

The moving wall was created in 1983 by Vietnam veterans who wanted to share the experience of seeing the wall with those who might be able to travel to Washington, D.C.

This is the second time for the replica to visit Jefferson City, hosted by the Jefferson City Veterans Council.

More than 50,000 visitors are expected to visit the wall through Monday.

Link: jeffersoncityveteranscouncil.org

Join us at the opening ceremony

If you can't make it to today's Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall opening ceremony, News Tribune will be streaming a live broadcast via Periscope beginning at noon.

To access our live stream, download the Periscope app on your smartphone, sign in using your Twitter account, then follow the News Tribune's Periscope account @NewsTribune.

You can also access our Periscope stream on your computer by following the News Tribune on Twitter (@NewsTribune) and clicking the Periscope link included in a tweet that will post at noon.

Join the conversation

What do you have to say about the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall's visit to Jefferson City? Share your thoughts by writing a message on the News Tribune's Facebook page or in the comments section below this article, or by posting to Twitter with the hashtag #MOMovingWall.

Today's question: What are your memories or experiences, or those of your family members, from the end of the Vietnam War?

Check Sunday's newspaper for a look at the community's reaction.